I kind of just jumped right into grow hops, and didnt really know what i was getting into. I am building a trellis on a budget. 2 10 foot 2x4s drilled together side by side to create a 4x4 ( actually cheaper this way). I was going to dig down three feet and cement them in. This would leave seven feet of wood above ground. I was then going to take 2 inch 12 foot PVC piping to extend the trallis, and would connect the pvc to the 4x4 giving it roughly 16 feet to grow on. Does this sound stable? I have seen this done on HBT, but metal piping was used not PVC. Also I was going to use manilla 3/8rope... is this an exceptable kind? I am growing glacier, tett, hall, horizon, and willamete.

Slomo,
I planted 18 plants in 2013, 8 died that year in a blizzard (in May!). But the last 2 years, the survivors have grown at a fantastic rate. Last year all 7 of my remaining Chinook bines went over 20'. I have 2 poles that stick out 21' with 3' cemented in the ground. I tied them off with guy wires and secured them to my barn. The winds at my house will hit over 60 mph at some point during the year, and the poles are still standing. Tie them off, secure them and they will be fine. Also, you need to go higher.